The present invention relates to a low profile, cable connector receptacle assembly which is adapted to be edge mounted to an electronic planar device, such as a printed circuit board (PCB). More particularly, this invention is directed to the housing means by which the cable connector receptacle of said co-pending application may be edge mounted to a PCB, for example.
Coaxial cable receptacles for PCBs have been known for several years, where, such receptacles are typically surface mounted thereto. U.S. Pat. No. 3,915,535 represents such a device. For convenience, and by way of understanding and adoption herein, a coaxial cable is defined therein as an electrical cable containing two or more conductors each isolated from the others and running parallel to each other. A typical coaxial cable is one having a center conductor embedded in a dielectric and a woven or braided metallic shield surrounding the dielectric. An outer insulating jacket surrounds the shield. The center conductor carries the RF signal while the braided shield acts to shield the RF signal from interference; i.e., crosstalk, etc. In terminating the cable the shield goes to ground.
One of the disadvantages associated with surface mounting is due to a larger profile, at least by an amount equal to the thickness of the planar electronic device, and the consequence of requiring added space to accommodate the assembly. Edge or straddle mounting offers the advantage of a reduced profile, a feature that will become more apparent in the description which follows. However, before detailing the manner by which the present invention accomplishes its goal of providing a low profile connector assembly through edge mounting, it will be acknowledged that others have sought to edge mount, as evidenced by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,190,461; 4,656,441; and 4,138,179.